Wednesday, November 5, 2014

Who doesn't love a pumpkin muffin? I've been making these muffins for almost 20 years now. They're easy to make and fairly low in fat and sugar. You can leave off the optional toppings, but they just won't be the same if you do. Enjoy!

Heat oven to 400*F. Spray 12 muffin cups with non-stick spray or use paper liners and spray those with spray.
In large bowl combine all dry ingredients and stir to combine. In small bowl, combine all wet ingredients and whisk together completely. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir just until combined. Do not over mix.
Use a large ice cream scoop to evenly divide the batter into the 12 muffin cups.

Press about 1 teaspoon of cream cheese into the center of each muffin.

Top each with about a teaspoon of brown sugar and then top with finely chopped pecans. Gently press pecans into top of muffin batter to "set" them.

Depending on the type of muffin pan you're using, bake for 15-25 minutes (Mine took 25 minutes in the stoneware). Cool on wire rack, serve warm, store in refrigerator. I like to make several batches and store them in the freezer.
Makes 12 muffins.

Pictured below is another delicious pumpkin muffin........chocolate chip pumpkin muffin to be exact. It's so full of flavor!

You can find the recipe {here}. The recipe calls for sliced almonds, however I used finely chopped pecans since I was already using them for the other recipe and I love pumpkin and pecans together.

First, you'll need to line a large sieve or colander with a couple layers of cheesecloth. Set the colander over a bowl and spoon pumpkin puree into the cheesecloth. Let set for at least an hour.

After this time, gather the corners and sides of the cheesecloth and gently begin to twist & tighten the cheesecloth around the puree. Being careful not to squeeze too hard, press as much liquid out as you can.

Don't skip this part, I was able to drain more than a cup of liquid from my 7 cups of puree. If you're making the single recipe, you should get about a half cup of liquid.

Once you've drained as much liquid as possible from the puree. Put the puree in a large pot and whisk in remaining ingredients. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring often. Reduce heat to low and continue cooking for 20-25 minutes, stirring very often to prevent burning.

After about 25 minutes, spoon pumpkin butter into freezer-safe canning jars, leaving half-inch headspace. Let cool, then twist on lids & label. Can be stored in the refrigerator for 1 week or in the freezer for 6 months. Single recipe makes about 4 or 5 half pint jars.

I was able to make 10 half pint jars from a double recipe. It's so easy and delicious, I hope you'll try it!

My favorite way to enjoy this pumpkin butter is with plain Greek yogurt & granola. It makes a great breakfast or snack.

Monday, November 3, 2014

We are well into "Pumpkin Season" and I've been wanting to make pumpkin puree to use for several favorite recipes for Fall. I recently bought 7 sugar pumpkins from our local produce market just for this purpose. I do keep commercial canned pumpkin in the pantry, but there's nothing like using homemade when it's available. If you've never tried making your own, it's easier than you probably think!

After you've picked out small, unblemished sugar pumpkins, you'll want to wash and dry each one. Then cut the top off and cut it in half.

Next, scoop out all of the seeds (save for roasting if you'd like) and scrape out as many of the stringy fibers as you can leaving the pumpkin flesh intact. I used a couple of tools from the Halloween carving kit.

Then cut each piece again so that your pumpkin is now quartered. Place all of your pumpkin pieces on parchment lined baking sheets.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. I decided to use both ovens since I had so many slices and was able to get the roasting done quickly.

Place your baking sheets in the oven and roast for 45 minutes to one hour.

The pumpkin should be fork tender, skins wrinkled and beginning to separate from the pumpkin flesh.

If the skins aren't wrinkled and easily peeled away, leave in oven a bit longer.

The skin should look similar to the above photo and be separating like in the photos below.

Pull the skins away from the flesh and scrape as much flesh from the skins as possible. Place a little at a time (maybe 4 slices) into the bowl of a food processor and puree for 10-20 seconds at a time, scraping sides of bowl down if necessary. Process until the puree is smooth.

If you don't have a food processor, you can use a blender (just be sure to not liquefy your pumpkin) or use a food mill.

If you aren't using your puree immediately, you can store it in a bowl in the refrigerator for a few days. I like to press a piece of plastic wrap directly on top of the puree before placing the lid on the bowl. This keeps liquid from pooling on top of the puree.

If you would like to store your puree for a longer period of time, it can be frozen. I like to use wide mouth pint jars with the white plastic freezer/pantry lids.

Pumpkin puree is too thick to safely process it for pantry storage. It needs to either be used immediately or stored in the freezer.

I was able to make about 28 cups of puree from the 7 sugar pumpkins I roasted. Check back each day this week for a different pumpkin recipe.

About Me

I live in beautiful Western Washington state, tending to our pet menagerie, vegetable, herb & flower gardens, fruit trees, & berry patches. I am a certified aromatherapist and am passionate about using products that are as pure and natural as possible on our bodies and in our home.